Container with sanitary end closure



March 12, 1957 CONTAINER WITH SANITARY END CLOSURE Filed Dec. 50, 1953 INVENTOR.

HOWARD M. HILL ATTORNEYS United Application December so, 1953, saith No. 401,511;

4 Claims. c1. 229-4 The present invention relates to containers for the packaging and delivery of liquids, such as'rnilk and the like and has particular reference to a sanitary fibre container of an improved construction which embodies a multiple layer top closure member having separate filling and dispensing openings protected against contamination by a full one-piece irnperforate shield.

The invention constitutes an improvement upon the container disclosed in United States Patent 2,509,985 issued September 9, 1952 to George C. Reid, et al.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a filling and dispensing top closure member for a container wherein the closure is made from a plurality of layers, one of which is formed with a-filling opening and a rupturable dispensing opening and another of which provides a protective shield for the entire closure of maintaining the closure in a sanitary condition.

Another object is the provision of such a top closure which can be permanently attached at the container manufacturing plant in such a manner that the sealing rethata more economical container may be produced with-v out sacrifice in quality.

Still another object is the provision of such a top end construction which permits dispensing of the contents in an easily controlled restricted stream close to the outer edges of the container.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the upper end of a sealed container embodying the instant invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views similar to Fig. 1, Fig. 2 showing the container open for filling and Fig. 3 showing the container open for dispensing its contents.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 4-4 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 55 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of a container body prepared to receive the top closure to produce the container shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a one-piece blank from which the multiple layer top closure is made for the container shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the blank shown in Fig. 7, the view showing how the blank is folded to produce the top closure for the container in Fig. 2;

Patent G 2,784,894 Patented Mar. 1-2, 1957 Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the upper end of a modified form of the container shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the upper end-of the container body shown in Fig. 9, arid Fig. 11 is a perspective exploded view illustrating the parts of a two separate layer modified form oftop closure for the containers shown in Figs. 1 and'9.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention Figs. 2 to 7 inclusive of the drawings illustrate a rectangular container comprising a fibre tubular body 14 closed at its-upper end with a sanitary, fiat, fibre filling and dispensing. top closure 15. The bottom end of the container may be closed in any suitable manner.

The body 14 preferably is formed from a single sheet or blank of fibrous material folded at right angles to provide four side walls and having the side edges of the blank overlapped and adhesively secured together to form a lap side seam 16. p

The body side Walls adjacent their upper ends are formed with inwardly extending oblique wall sections 17 (Fig. 4) which merge into short vertically curved wall sections 18 defining a mouth for the container body. The curved wall sections 18 merge into an outwardly extending peripheral, fiat, horizontal shoulder or ledge 19 which carries an annular filrn of adhesive 29. Adjacent and surrounding two diagonally opposed corners of the body 14 the shoulder 19 merges into short vertical angularly disposed flanges 21 which are preferably integral withthe body 14 and which carry on their inner faces an adhesive 22. The flanges 21 provide guides for locat ing and for assembling the closure member 15 withthe body. After assembly of the composite closure member 15 to the body the fiangesZl are folded inwardly and downwardly over the outer marginal edge portions of the closure 15 as shown in Fig. 5 to provide a pair of opposed receiving channels 23 for reception of the closure and to produce two opposed short end seam sections 24 to lock the closure in place.

The top closure 15 preferably is made from a onepiece blank 26 (Fig. 7) of comparatively thin fibrous sheet material. The blank is substantially rectangular in shape and is partially divided by'a transverse slit 27 into two substantially equal sections which constitute an inner layer closure section 28 and an outer layer closure section 29. When the two sections 28, 29 are folded back on each other as shown in Fig. 8, along the slit 27, which extends for the major width of the blank, the resulting closure comprises an integral double ply or layer structure including the inner layer 28 and substantially coextensive outer layer 29 lapped thereover. In the blank 26, the inner layer or section 28 is formed with a circular filling opening 3'1 which is preferably located in the corner of the section adjacent the partial dividing slit 27. In the diagonally opposite corner, the section 28 is provided with a small triangular rupturable or potential dispensing opening area 32 as shown in Fig. 7, defined by score lines 33 formed in the face of the blank visible in Fig. 7, or the bottom surface of the blank section after insertion into the container body (Fig. 4). The reverse or upper surface of this triangular area 32 is coated with a thermoplastic adhesive 34 The marginal edge portions of the sections 23 as viewed in Fig. 7 also carry a band of thermoplastic adhesive 35.

The outer layer or section 29 of the blank 26 is imperforate and is formed with a diagonal score line 37 (Fig. 7) which extends from the inner terminal end of the transverse slit 27 to the outer edge'of the blank adjoining the slit 27. This score line 37 sets off in the outer section 29, a triangular filling shield 38 which is directly opposite the filling opening 31 in the inner sectioh 28 and which is hingeable alongthe score-line 37'. Diagonally opposite this shield 38, the corner of the outer section 29 is provided with a diagonal score line 39 which sets off a second or dispensing shield 41 for the triangular area 32 which covers the potential dispensing opening 32. The corner edges of this triangular shield 41 extend beyond the boundary edges of the outer section 29 and constitute angularly disposed marginal flanges 42, 43 for the shield.

The under face of the section 29, excluding the dispensing shield 41 and an isolated circular area 45 in the filling shield 38, is coated in a suitable design with a thermoplastic adhesive 46. Preferably this adhesive 46 is applied adjacent the score lines 37, 39, along the marginal edge portions of the top closure section 29, and throughout the entire filling shield 38 with the exception of the circular area 45 which will become coextensive and in registry with the circular filling opening 31 in the inner closure section 28.

When the inner section 28 of the blank 26 is folded under the outer section 29 as shown in Figs. 8 and 4, the closure sections exclusive of the filling shield 33, are pressed together in the presence of heat to unite them into a unitary closure structure by means of the described thermoplastic adhesive. In this final unitary closure structure which constitutes the top closure 15, the inner layer is permanently secured to the outer layer, and the filling opening 31 and the potential dispensing opening defined by the area 32 are in the inner layer with the respective shields 33, 41 covering them as parts of the outer imperforate layer 29. The filling shield 38 of the outer layer 29 is free from the inner layer 28, and the potential dispensing area 32 in the inner layer is adhesively secured to the dispensing shield 41 of the outer layer but otherwise the shield 41 is free of the inner layer.

When the top closure 15 is applied to the container body 14, its outer marginal edge portions rest on and are adhesively secured to the flat shoulder 19 at the mouth of the body to form a flat laterally projecting end seam as shown in Fig. 4, with the two shield portions 38, 41 clear of the short corner flanges 21 of the body, the body flanges 21 being bent over the marginal edge portion of the outer closure layer 29 to hold the closure in place as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. In this top closure construction the flanges 42, 43 of the dispensing shield 41, extend down adjacent and under the body flange 19 in crimped fashion as shown in Pigsv 2 and 4 to retain the shield in closed position.

When the container is to be filled, the unsecured filling shield 38 of the outer closure layer 22 is hinged upwardly along the diagonal score line 37 as shown in Fig. 2 to expose the filling opening 31 of inner layer 23 for the filling operation. After filling, the shield 3:; is closed down on the inner layer 28 over the filling opening 31 and is permanently secured to the inner layer by heating the adhesive 46 on the shield. The filled container is shipped in this condition.

To open the container to dispense its contents, the inwardly crimped marginal flanges 42, 43 of the dispensing shield 41 on said outer closure layer 29 are pulled out and the shield hinged upwardly along the diagonal score line 39 as shown in Fig. 3. This upward hinging of the shield 41 to open position pulls up on the scored area 32 in the inner closure layer 28 which is adhesively secured to the shield and thereby breaks the score lines 33 around the area. A dispensing opening 48 (Fig. 3) is thus produced in the inner layer 28 of the closure. The released scored area 32 remains secured to the underside of the shield 41 and thus the broken area 32 provides a reclosure plug 49 (Fig. 3) for the dispensing opening when the shield is again closed down over the opening.

If desired the closure locating and securing flanges 21 on the body 14 may be omitted to produce a smooth top container as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

Forsmaller sizes of containers such as the pint and half pint sizes, where the top face of the outer layer 29 of the closure is reduced in area, the body flanges 21 preferably are reduced in length as flanges 51 shown in Figs. 9 and 10. These reduced length flanges 51 extend along the edges of the body and do not include the adjacent corners of the body as in the preferred form shown in Fig. 6.

The top closure 15 may also be made from two separate pieces 55, 56 as shown in Fig. 11. These pieces are adhesively secured together to'provide a unitary closure structure of the same construction as the preferred closure shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and made from the single 'piece blank 26 illustrated in Fig. 7.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A fibre container for liquids, comprising a tubular body of rectangular cross section and a flat rectangular top closure of double thickness adhesively secured thereto in a laterally projecting end seam, said top closure including an inner layer having a filling opening in one corner thereof and a scored rupturable area constituting a potential dispensing opening in a diagonally opposed corner thereof, the outer layer of said closure being imperforate and in part adhesively secured to said-inner layer to protect the latter against contamination, said outer layer having a pair of spaced diagonal score lines respectively setting off in diagonally opposed corner portions thereof a substantially triangular filling shield over lying said filling opening in said inner layer and a substantially triangular dispensing shield adhesively secured to said rupturable dispensing opening area and covering in non-secured relation the adjacent surrounding outer surface of said inner layer, said filling shield being outwardly hingeable on one of said diagonal score lines to expose said filling opening for filling said container and thereafter adapted to be permanently adhesively secured to said inner layer to cover and protect said filling opening, said dispensing shield being outwardly hingeable on the other of said diagonal score lines to break away said scored rupturable area of said inner closure layer 'to produce a contents dispensing opening in both inner and outer layers of said closure.

2. A fibre container for liquids, comprising a tubular body of rectangular cross section and a flat rectangular top closure of double thickness adhesively secured thereto in a laterally projecting end seam, said top closure including an inner layer having a filling opening in one corner thereof and a scored rupturable area constituting a potential dispensing opening in a diagonally opposed corner thereof, the outer layer of said closure being imperforate and constituting an integral reversely folded extension of said inner layer in part adhesively secured thereto to protect the inner layer against contamination, said outer layer having a pair of spaced diagonal score lines respectively setting oflf in diagonally opposed corner portions thereof a substantially triangular filling shield overlying in non-secured relation said filling opening of said inner layer and a substantially triangular dispensing shield adhesively secured to said rupturable dispensing opening area and covering the adjacent-surrounding outer surface of said inner layer, said non-secured filling shield being defined along one free edge thereof by a transverse slit partially separating said inner and outer closure layers and extending inwardly from an edge thereof to an end of one of said diagonal score lines, said filling shield being outwardly hingeable on said one diagonal score line to expose said filling opening for filling said container and thereafter adapted to be permanently adhesively secured to said inner layer to cover and protect said filling opening, said dispensing shield being adhesively secured only to said rupturable potential dispensing opening area of said inner layer and covering in non-secured relation the adjacent surrounding outer surface of the latter, whereby outward hinging movement of said dispensing shield on the other of said diagonal score lines breaks said scored rupturable area to produce a contents dispensing opening in both inner and outer layers of said closure.

3. A container for liquids comprising a tubular body of rectangular cross section having a substantially fiat multiple layer top closure member secured thereto in a laterally projecting end seam, said top closure member comprising an inner layer having a filling opening and a potential dispensing opening diagonally opposed thereto, and an imperforate outer layer substantially coextensive with and secured to said inner layer to entirely cover the latter, said outer layer having spaced diagonal score lines therein setting off diagonally opposed non-secured portions of said outer layer constituting a pair of outwardly movable protective shields respectively hingeable on said score lines and covering said filling and dispensing openings in said inner layer to protect the surfaces of the inner layer adjacent said openings against contamination, and a flat peripheral laterally projecting ledge on said tubular body adhesively secured to marginal edge portions of said inner closure layer to constitute said end seam, said body ledge having localized peripherally spaced integral flange portions extending inwardly over spaced marginal portions only of said outer closure layer between said diagonal score lines and adhesively secured to said outer closure layer to accurately position said multiple layer closure on said body ledge.

4. A container for liquids comprising a tubular body of rectangular cross section having a substantially fiat multiple layer rectangularly shaped top closure secured thereto in a laterally projecting end seam, said top closure comprising an inner layer having a filling opening in one corner thereof and having a scored area defining a potential dispensing opening in a diagonally opposed corner thereof, and an imperforate outer layer substantially coextensive with and adhesively secured to said inner layer, said outer layer having a pair of diagonally spaced nonsecured hingeable shield portions respectively disposed at opposed corners thereof in registry with the aforesaid filling and dispensing openings of said inner layer, said shield portions respectively extending over and protecting said filling opening and said potential dispensing opening and the adjacent surrounding surfaces of said inner layer against contamination, and a flat peripheral laterally projecting ledge on said tubular body adhesively secured to marginal edge portions of said inner closure layer to constitute said end seam, spaced peripheral portions of said body ledge between said shield portions having integral marginal flange portions extending inwardly over peripherally spaced marginal edge portions only of said outer closure layer between said diagonally opposed shield portions to accurately position said top closure on said body ledge without interfering with the free hinging movement of said shield portions on said outer closure layer to open and closed positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,958 Hothersall Aug. 17, 1937 2,321,042 Preis June 8, 1943 2,499,416 Reid ct a1 Mar. 7, 1950 2,583,211 Fleming Jan. 22, 1952 2,657,848 Norden Nov. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 632,222 Great Britain Nov. 18, 1949 484,450 Canada July 1, 1952 

